S07.E06: Botanical Week

[swimmyfish]

4 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

MB seemed put off by the fact that Jane was not cooking her meringue in the oven; but that is the whole point of a Swiss meringue! It's already cooked so you can finish it simply with a blow torch; it's also more stable in my experience. Is it just a matter of personal preference or a streak of cooking ideological orthodoxy in her?

Wait, I thought Jane was the only one who *did* put her meringue in the oven? Everyone else used a blowtorch, but Jane put her whole pie in the oven to cook? Did I misunderstand that?

[illdoc]

40 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

Didn't realize Tom's last name was "Baker" !

Is it? I just assumed they were being funny/punny, since I believe "Tom Baker" is one of the more famous "Dr. Who"s (something they would be very familiar with in England).

[Spunkygal]

43 minutes ago, swimmyfish said:

Wait, I thought Jane was the only one who *did* put her meringue in the oven? Everyone else used a blowtorch, but Jane put her whole pie in the oven to cook? Did I misunderstand that?

I thought so, too. I am sad to see any one of these contestants go. They are so lovely and supportive of each other. Loved Salasi's cake with Tom's a close second.

[SirOsisOfLiver]

If you aren't aware, initially Bake Off travelled around Britain from week to week; hence the tent. It was only in later seasons that they stayed in one locale.

[Florinaldo]

2 hours ago, swimmyfish said:

Wait, I thought Jane was the only one who *did* put her meringue in the oven?

No, Candice did it too, but she made a French meringue I believe. Jane's Swiss meringue did go into the oven, which means she probably used the shorter cooking time for the whites on the stove.

I just checked the episode on the PBS Web site and MB actually objected to an Italian meringue, Rav's, not being put in the oven and simply blowtorched, not Jane's as I remembered. She also stated she prefers a baked meringue because it gets the nice crisp that she likes.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Florinaldo

[Brookside]

1 hour ago, Florinaldo said:

No, Candice did it too, but she made a French meringue I believe. Jane's Swiss meringue did go into the oven, which means she probably used the shorter cooking time for the whites on the stove.

I

My mum made the best lemon meringue pie in the world ;-).   I used to whisk the eggs by hand, forever it seemed.  Anyway, she did not cook the whites at all before adding to the pie.  She baked in the oven and it came out the way Mary Berry likes it - crispy and browned.  No blow torches back then, and no in-stove grill.

In terms of Tom repeatedly being told to stick to the rules, two years ago there was a competitor who was constantly told to concentrate on flavor and instructions, and less on presentation.  (Can't remember her name.). She went on to win.

[DHDancer]

9 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

I love elderflower (or elderberry as it is called here)

fyi, elderflower is the FLOWER of the elderberry bush and is used differently from the berries.   I remember my MIL making elderflower wine (tasted like Müller-Thurgau).

[Florinaldo]

14 minutes ago, DHDancer said:

fyi, elderflower is the FLOWER of the elderberry bush and is used differently from the berries.   I remember my MIL making elderflower wine (tasted like Müller-Thurgau).

From my information, both parts of the plant (part of the genus sambucus) are used and have similar tastes, at least to my unrefined buds. In Canada, I have just about never heard the term "elderflower", even for spirits or syrups made with the flower instead of the berry.

Although it would not surprise me to learn that there are pockets here and there in our country where people, perhaps nostalgic for the olden days of the British Empire, are making that terminological distinction.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Florinaldo

[Mittengirl]

There must be a large conservatory somewhere in England that they could use for filming.  You would still have the view, inside and out, but more climate-contolled.

[jenh526]

Either Mel or Sue (can't keep them straight) said something like "the bushes need trimming" at one point. I'd been half-listening but when I heard that I was wondering if there was some kind of innuendo intended...

[Brookside]

1 hour ago, Florinaldo said:

From my information, both parts of the plant (part of the genus sambucus) are used and have similar tastes, at least to my unrefined buds. In Canada, I have just about never heard the term "elderflower", even for spirits or syrups made with the flower instead of the berry.

Although it would not surprise me to learn that there are pockets here and there in our country where people, perhaps nostalgic for the olden days of the British Empire, are making that terminological distinction.

They taste very different and are used differently.  The flowers are pale, light and grassy flavored.  The berries are purple and much more intense.  Kind of like chamomile tea versus Ribena/blackberry cordial.

[Lovecat]

6 hours ago, Broken Ox said:

How cute was Selasi laying on his stomach in front of his oven with his legs bent up?

He looked like he was gabbing with his girlfriends at a sleepover!

[Rinaldo]

2 hours ago, Brookside said:

two years ago there was a competitor who was constantly told to concentrate on flavor and instructions, and less on presentation.  (Can't remember her name.). She went on to win.

She also heeded their admonitions, and changed her ways after the first three or for weeks. (She did occasionally do elaborate presentations after that, but not at the expense of procedure and taste.)

[J-Man]

I was confused by Tom's reference to Thanksgiving for his Halloween Pie. Is there some sort of British Thanksgiving celebration, or was he talking about an American or Canadian friend?

[Brookside]

22 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

She also heeded their admonitions, and changed her ways after the first three or for weeks. (She did occasionally do elaborate presentations after that, but not at the expense of procedure and taste.)

Thanks for this - I remember it going longer than that, but that may be because I didn't want her to win!

[carrps]

14 minutes ago, J-Man said:

I was confused by Tom's reference to Thanksgiving for his Halloween Pie. Is there some sort of British Thanksgiving celebration, or was he talking about an American or Canadian friend?

That's what I came to ask!!! I was surprised to see him choosing pumpkin pie filling, because back in the day all the people I knew who emigrated from the UK (to the US) had two things they HATED -- pumpkin pie and peanut butter. And here's Tom actually making a  pumpkin pie, and Candice talking about eating peanut butter from the jar with a spoon!

[truther]

Another strange edit for Candice.  For almost the first ten minutes of the episode it was just the other six contestants, cutting back and forth from one to another as they talked about their baking and interacted with the hosts.  Anyway it was good to see Tom enjoy his triumph and I'm happy for him.  There was very little from this week that I actually found myself wishing I could eat.  

As to the tent, I love it.  The beautiful outdoors setting is one of the things that makes this show so much better than any other cooking competition.  

[LittleIggy]

9 hours ago, illdoc said:

Is it? I just assumed they were being funny/punny, since I believe "Tom Baker" is one of the more famous "Dr. Who"s (something they would be very familiar with in England).

The best Dr Who! :-)

Why did Tom make a pumpkin pie? That's not citrus.

[rhys]

10 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

The best Dr Who! :-)

Why did Tom make a pumpkin pie? That's not citrus.

He used blood orange juice in the meringue.

That reminds me; could we get away from calling foods using names of body "parts"?  For example:

Blood orange

Shaved ham

•••••

^Please add to this list ^

 

My weird wish makes no sense as bloody Mary doesn't bother me.

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, carrps said:

That's what I came to ask!!! I was surprised to see him choosing pumpkin pie filling, because back in the day all the people I knew who emigrated from the UK (to the US) had two things they HATED -- pumpkin pie and peanut butter. And here's Tom actually making a  pumpkin pie, and Candice talking about eating peanut butter from the jar with a spoon!

According to Google, the holiday has begun to really take root in the UK - to fill up the dead space between Halloween and Christmas.  

[Quilt Fairy]

52 minutes ago, rhys said:

He used blood orange juice in the meringue.

I thought it was just a blood orange syrup drizzle over the top.  It was certainly an interesting interpretation of what constitutes a citrus tart.

The artist's rendition of Candice's four seasons cake looked spectacular, the finished product, not so much.

[Amethyst]

Selasi is such a crack up.  Only he can calmly tell Sue "I just don't know if it's underbaked" while posing like a GQ model on the floor.  I wish I had an ounce of his chill.

As much as I liked Rav, he's been skating by for a long time.  But good on him for leaving with a smile.  Wish him luck in the future.

I read a post a while back stating that the contestants are being given less time than what they need.  Could that have been why the showstoppers weren't actually show stopping? Candice's was topsy turvy to the point of looking sloppy, Jane's watercolor-style flowers were all smeared, and so on.  Selasi had the best looking showstopper, but I think they gave it to Tom because he finally managed to blend his flavors properly.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Amethyst

[RealityCheck]

8 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

10 hours ago, Brookside said:

two years ago there was a competitor who was constantly told to concentrate on flavor and instructions, and less on presentation.  (Can't remember her name.). She went on to win.

She also heeded their admonitions, and changed her ways after the first three or for weeks. (She did occasionally do elaborate presentations after that, but not at the expense of procedure and taste.)

Her name was Frances Quinn.  She continued to be dinged on "style over substance" into the quarterfinals with her showstopper dairy-free vegetable cake. Beautiful to look at but not so much in the eating according to Paul and Mary.  Frances was very, very lucky that the final showstopper was wedding cake where style was as important as substance and Ruby forgot to write down the oven temperature for her cake.

[Brookside]

" I wish I had an ounce of his chill."  

I'll take an ounce of Selasi's chill any time.

Thank you.

[starri]

So Tom is Star Baker this week?  Yeah, no.

[Rinaldo]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Why did Tom make a pumpkin pie? That's not citrus.

Because Tom is compelled to push (or overstep) the bounds of the directive, the way others are compelled to overdecorate or apologize....

9 hours ago, Amethyst said:

I read a post a while back stating that the contestants are being given less time than what they need.  

That was an opinion (and thus welcome here, of course). My own opinion is that they're given enough time if they know what they're doing and apportion the given time properly. 

[AZChristian]

4 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

My own opinion is that they're given enough time if they know what they're doing and apportion the given time properly. 

I agree.  We get enough "that's cooked perfectly" comments from Paul and Mary as proof that they DO have adequate time.  They might not be able to do it as efficiently as a professional chef who cooks/bakes the same thing over and over, but part of what they're proving is a well-rounded set of skills for competition as amateurs.  

[Kohola3]

My comment on time was specific to the technical challenge.  I'm not saying that they don't have adequate time, my supposition is that the time allotted is the time it takes either Mary or Paul to make that particular dish.  When the bakers have never seen or heard of that particular dish they spend some of that time reading the instructions and surmising what needs to be done.  Thus they use up precious minutes.

[Mabinogia]

The people who run out of time are usually either trying to do more than was required, or making something too big so that it takes longer to cook. Or they just don't have good time management and screw up. Or, they actually screw up and have to start over. It's hard to say they don't have enough time when we've seen people have to scrap what they made and start over again and still manage to finish.

I thought Candace's cake looked a hot mess. And of COURSE she does four tiers. I just don't like her. The more I see her the less I like her. I don't like not liking someone on this show. :(

I thought Saleese's was stunning. It might be my crush on him but damn was he sexy piping those flowers, in his floral shirt. His reaction to the judge's compliments was adorable!

I want both Benajamina and Jane's citrus meringue pies. They were both stunning.

One of my favorite parts of the show is watching them all mingle after the results are announced. I noticed Andrew and Saleese in the back doing these dramatic acts of relief. They were hilarious.

[backgroundnoise]

On 7/15/2017 at 0:44 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

Baking in the tent is part of what makes GBBO the show it is.

ITA.  I don't know why but a sudden close-up of a sheep bleating in the middle of a baking competition cracks me up every time.

[Lamb18]

I wonder if there's something between Selassi and Benjamina. They were looking a little flirty and the editing seemed to emphasize it, more than it usually does on developing relationships.

[proserpina65]

This was one of those weeks (like Biscuit week) where the differences between British baking and US baking stand out for me.  Here, a meringue topping on a pie is stiff but soft, and most definitely not crunchy.  I seriously don't want crunchy meringue on my pie.  Although, in all honesty, I'd rather not have the meringue at all - just nice, tart lemon filling.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV podcast on the episode!

Two Spotted Dicks: The Bakers Smell Of Elderflowers On Botanical Week!

There's not a hamster in sight as everyone has to step it up with nature-inspired challenges. Almost perfect won't do.

[dargosmydaddy]

Aw, I like Tom. I think he comes across as creative rather than arrogant, and I find his stressing out endearing, just like Andrew's. 

I wish there could have been two star bakers, though, because Selasi is awesome.

[Florinaldo]

On 2017-07-15 at 8:36 PM, Brookside said:

They taste very different and are used differently.  The flowers are pale, light and grassy flavored.  The berries are purple and much more intense.

Not in my gustative experience. It have taken another look (and taste) at various elderflower/berry products available here like jams, syrups, spirits or teas, and they all have the same basic distinctive flavour, whether they are made with the flower or the berry. There are variations in tone or character, but not to the extent of being "very different" as you say. It jibes with my memory of the wine and liqueur a great-uncle of ours used to make, one with the berries and the other with the flowers; subtle differences, but overall the same flavour. It may just be the coarseness of my taste buds of course.

By the way, berries in the variety growing around here (Sambucus canadensis) have a distinct blue tint (as opposed to the European Sambucus nigra); as little darker than haksap but still very clearly blue.

 

On 2017-07-15 at 11:38 PM, LittleIggy said:

The best Dr Who! :-)

Careful... Statements like that have been known to cause religious wars.  ;-)

[Clanstarling]

On 9/28/2016 at 10:58 PM, Corgi-ears said:

Aww. I'll mis Rav and his cute, warm smile. 

I love tea-flavored teas, but Tom's sponges looked kinda...brown? Was it just the resolution on my screen?

"The icing between the layers looks like mashed potato." 

Loved that scene. Thanks for the blast from the past.

On 10/3/2016 at 0:40 PM, girlplease said:

I wondered why all the contestants fanned their fougasse at the end of the baking time - rather than giving them an extra few minutes in the oven (which several of them really could have used!). The recipe doesn't seem to indicate...

I did too, as there were no other tasks, other than laying them out. I love eating hot bread right out of the oven, and they were thin, so it didn't seem like it would be a problem for the judging to me.

On 7/15/2017 at 6:22 AM, Kohola3 said:

 And while Jane's didn't turn out as she wanted it to, I thought it looked rather artsy!

I did too - it was abstract and very pretty in its own way. 

On 7/15/2017 at 9:38 AM, Kohola3 said:

Oh a shallow note, did Candice run out of lipstick this week?

It made me wonder how the show is filmed and broadcast in England. Because my first thought was that Candace had been reading all the comments about her choice of lipstick colors and decided to tone it down. If that is true, I think it's a shame, even though most of her lipstick shades didn't appeal to me. 

I hate meringue in any form, and when I've eaten lemon meringue pie, I dug the curd out from under the whipped eggs. Lime meringue (and other flavors) sound really appealing, though. 

When Tom chose pumpkin we shook our heads. It's such a strong flavor, and though I haven't tasted them, the citrus/pumpkin combination just doesn't sound good to me. 

[sum]

11 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

It made me wonder how the show is filmed and broadcast in England. Because my first thought was that Candace had been reading all the comments about her choice of lipstick colors and decided to tone it down. If that is true, I think it's a shame, even though most of her lipstick shades didn't appeal to me.

As per usual the whole filming production finishes about a month before (in July) the air date of the first episode. Last year the series started a bit later than usual because of the Rio Olympics.

[elle]

My PBS station is a couple of weeks behind this schedule, so tonight was Botanical Week.   I was especially curious about the first challenge.  First we hear from Mel and Sue state that the pie  is a citrus filling, then the narrator (is that Mel or Sue?) states that bakers can use anything that grows.  So which set of instructions did the bakers get?  If the latter, then wouldn't someone else make a non-citrus pie?  And Tom in the comments section "that is a citrus pie to me", mind boggling.  I hope his friend who makes the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie explained the difference between the two to him.

[Eliza422]

On 7/23/2017 at 9:50 PM, Clanstarling said:

 

I hate meringue in any form, and when I've eaten lemon meringue pie, I dug the curd out from under the whipped eggs. Lime meringue (and other flavors) sound really appealing, though. 

Omg, me too. If a treat is meringue based, I pass. 

[Brookside]

On ‎7‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 3:59 PM, Florinaldo said:

Not in my gustative experience. It have taken another look (and taste) at various elderflower/berry products available here like jams, syrups, spirits or teas, and they all have the same basic distinctive flavour, whether they are made with the flower or the berry. There are variations in tone or character, but not to the extent of being "very different" as you say. It jibes with my memory of the wine and liqueur a great-uncle of ours used to make, one with the berries and the other with the flowers; subtle differences, but overall the same flavour. It may just be the coarseness of my taste buds of course.

By the way, berries in the variety growing around here (Sambucus canadensis) have a distinct blue tint (as opposed to the European Sambucus nigra); as little darker than haksap but still very clearly blue.

 

Careful... Statements like that have been known to cause religious wars.  ;-)

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one!  Could well be just being in different parts of the world.

[JeanneH]

At the end of the judging table Sue and Mel started goofing on Benjamina's cake. A comment was made about it being nude and the other wrapped her hands around it to cover it up. One said it wasn't fit to be seen on tv, while the other added that the viewer should push the red button if the wanted to see it. And then, in the best timing of the season, that was the moment PBS splashed a promo for the show, featuring a big red circular logo, across the bottom of the screen.

I didn't get the joke about it being nude, but what's the deal about the button?

[AZChristian]

Apparently "the red button" is a thing in the UK.

From Wikipedia: 

Digital TV makes it possible for you to do many things with your television - join in with programmes, see extra news stories and sports coverage, check latest sports results, travel information and weather forecasts.

To go interactive, simply press the red button on your remote control at any time. Sometimes you will be prompted to press the red button by an announcement in a programme or a red button logo appearing in the top right-hand corner of your TV screen.

[theatremouse]

3 hours ago, JeanneH said:

I didn't get the joke about it being nude, but what's the deal about the button?

That style of decorated-but-not-completely-frosted cake is often called a naked cake.

[dubbel zout]

It's similar to a crumb coating.

[Jodithgrace]

My PBS is also weeks behind, so we just got Botanical week today, and it looks like they are preempting next week's show for stupid fund raising again. It's so frustrating.

I've seen Martha Stewart do that trick of putting food coloring in her piping bag when making meringues. Of course, hers were pale orange and perfect. 

I wa wondering if Italian or Swiss merengue would have held better than the French, given the humidity. I think the idea of cooking, either the syrup or the meringue itself, is to make it more stable and less susceptible to the whims of weather. But I'm not a baker, I just watch lots of cooking shows. 

It always perplexes me when contestants try to do something that they know can't be done in the given time. I see it all the time on Top Chef..chefs trying to cook short ribs in an hour, when they know darned well, it takes much longer than that. Time doesn't stretch just because you need it to. The bakers who try to do too much..you have to know that when you practice at home, it's all going to go perfectly, and when you get into the tent, and add in rain and nerves..it's not. 

But I do think that Paul and Mary give points for creativity. Much better to try something amazing and fail, than to do an adequate job at the same old thing. So trying 4 different cakes or making a pumpkin/blood orange pie (which sounds horrid BTW) does give you a bit of a lift, even if the results don't match your ambitions. So Rav's all one flavor cake did him no favors this week. 

Edited July 30, 2017 by Jodithgrace

[dubbel zout]

4 minutes ago, Jodithgrace said:

But I do think that Tom and Mary give points for creativity.

You mean Paul here. ;-) I think they do up to a point. If the idea is good but the flavor isn't, or the flavor is good but the execution is sloppy, they don't punish too harshly. But one of those elements has to be really good to balance out the other's weakness. The baker might not win, but it can often be enough not to be sent home. (Assuming it's not too late in the competition.) And I think they kind of enjoy being be proven wrong when it comes to flavor combinations they're initially skeptical about. I appreciate that they're happy to admit that.

[Evenshorter]

On 7/15/2017 at 0:39 PM, AZChristian said:

I thought she looked really nice with the pale shade, but (oddly enough), it made her crooked teeth more obvious.  

It's her expressions...the constant pursing of the lips while they are judging. It's driving me so crazy.

[AZChristian]

47 minutes ago, Evenshorter said:

It's her expressions...the constant pursing of the lips while they are judging. It's driving me so crazy.

I suspect that once she sees herself on these episodes, and maybe reads how often people comment, she may try to be more aware of the facial movements. I used to have a look of concentration that made people think I was really angry - not good in the office during planning meetings. Once a friend took me aside and told me that someone asked if I were angry about the assignment I'd been given, I worked on looking interested and focused, but not pissed.

[festivus]

I usually don't make comments in this forum because I'm so far behind everyone else in seeing this show but I had to for this episode. Bye Rav! I know he should have gone at least three episodes ago, but I just loved him. I knew it was coming though. Of those that are left, I hope Jane wins and if not her, Benjamina.

[Marshmallow Mollie]

As soon as Rav described what his showstopper cake was going to be, I started to make plans to make one this week. A creamsicle cake sounds delicious! I thought his cake was lovely. Sorry to see him go.